Giganta
Legion of Doom Team Member Giganta was a supervillain who had the ability to grow into a giantess. She was a member of the Legion of Doom. __toc__ Background Information Nowadays, she is a scientist named Doris Zeul. However, in the parallel universe of Earth-One (and Earth-1A), Giganta is introduced as a captured Gorilla from Africa in a zoo. She first meets Wonder Woman on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Nurse, Lt. Diana Prince and Steve Trevor are enjoying the sites at a local zoo. As they approach the female Gorilla cage, Professor Psycho who is lurking nearby, hypnotizes Giganta the Gorilla into falling in love with Steve Trevor. It breaks free from its cage and grabs Steve. Diana changes into Wonder Woman, but is overcome by her powerful foe. If it wasn’t for her magic lasso, she would have been defeated. As the gorilla is subdued, Professor Zool appears and asks that the gorilla be turned over to him for 'evolutionary (ape into human) experimentation' because of her human-like tendencies. He is however, denied his request by the Zoo Keeper, who takes the gorilla and locks it another cage for the evening. Prof. Psycho decides to capitalize on the apes evening containment by breaking Giganta out of the zoo and delivering her to Professor Zool’s lab. Professor Psycho knows Professor Zool has been unsuccessful and that he can help make the experiment successful as he will project his 'brain-waves' toward the gorilla while she is in the evolution machine. Through his psychic connection, he tells the gorilla that she will become a beautiful woman who only thinks of Steve Trevor, and that she must eliminate the Amazon Wonder Woman who stands in her way. The experiment is a success and the gorilla is now a large, powerful and beautiful woman. Professor Psycho then arranges for Giganta to find Steve and Wonder Woman again. Giganta seeks to eliminate Wonder Woman so that she can have Steve for herself. Wonder Woman again triumphs over Giganta and takes her to Paradise Island for rehabilitation.As revealed in Wonder Woman, #163 (July 1966). This origin story is revamped from Giganta’s Golden Age / Earth-Two origin revealed in Wonder Woman, #9 (June, 1944). It includes an additional member of Wonder Woman's rogues' gallery, Doctor Psycho. Giganta is shown to be sporting an update to her look, giving her waist-length blond hair and an even larger physical stature. E. Nelson Bridwell tried to tie into this Earth-One origin by revealing it in the SuperFriends Comic issue ''#30'' (March, 1980). This origin is also hinted at in the NBC TV Special, the Legends of the Superheroes episode The Challenge (1979). Less than a year later, a millionaire known as the 'Collector' offers to buy Wonder Woman's magic lasso. When she refuses the offer, the Collector hires Giganta, (the now) Doctor Psycho, and Paula Von Gunta to steal the lasso for him. Giganta and Doctor Psycho fail, but Paula gets the lasso and Wonder Woman as a prisoner. Paula brings her prizes to the Collector. Wonder Woman manages to escape and rounds up the crooks.As revealed in Wonder Woman, #168 (February 1967). While still a young woman (in the parallel universe of Earth-1A), Giganta went horseback riding in an unnamed forest. She comes across a young Apache and the Chief of the Apache tribe using what appeared to be ‘magic powder’. The Chief claims that this power would amplify one's thoughts. While she is spying, she sees the young Apache use this powder to increase his size and dispose of a grizzly bear who was threatening the old chief. The young Apache, without resorting to violence, simply picked up the bear and put it in another part of the mountains. Seeing what the ‘magic powder’ does to the young Apache she tried to kill them so she can have it for herself, so she can become famous as the world's biggest woman. She used her super strength to push a boulder on the old chief, but Apache Chief rescues his mentor from danger. Unsuccessful, she used her rope to lasso the pouch around the old chief’s waist. Although the old chief warns her not to use that powder because her thoughts were selfish, she sprinkles the powder on her head and begins to grow. As expected, her attitude and ambition was multiplied as well, soon desiring to be a supervillain (the young Apache simply became more brave and desired to do good). In her new found glory, she looks over at the young Apache and says that she is now "50-foot of evil to match his 50-foot of good".As depicted on the Superfriends Season 3 episode: "History of Doom" (December 23, 1978). Many years later, and a confirmed member of the villainous group known as the Legion of Doom, she and Gorilla Grodd capture Gleek and make an evil robot of him. They use this evil robot to attack a meeting of all the SuperFriends. However the SuperFriends reveal the meeting was a trick as they suspected an attempt would be made if they were all together. They are then able capture the two villains.As revealed in the SuperFriends short episode: "Two Gleeks Are Deadlier Than One" (September 17, 1983). She was present when the Legion of Doom got back together for a grand scheme to destroy the SuperFriends. The plan is thwarted the Legion is defeated.As revealed in the SuperFriends short episode: "Revenge of Doom" (October 1, 1983). Powers and Abilities Super powers *'Size Alteration': She has the ability to increase her size, a power she stole from Apache Chief. *'Superhuman Strength': Even without growing to the size of a giant, she is already incredibly strong, having gorilla-like strength, as she was once a gorilla. Abilities *'Equestrianism' Legion of Doom Team Members Episode Appearances Notes * The character's first incarnation (Golden Age / Earth-Two version), was created by Wonder Woman's creator William Moulton Marston and first appeared in Wonder Woman, #9 (June, 1944).Go to [http://dc.wikia.com DC Database] for more on [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Wonder_Woman_Vol_1_9 Wonder Woman, #9 (June, 1944).] * The character's second incarnation (Silver Age / Earth-One version) was revealed in Wonder Woman, #163 (July 1966). This incarnation was created by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. * Marston presents her as a brutish strongwoman with no super powers other than unusual strength. It wasn't until Hanna-Barbera's third season of the ''SuperFriends'', Challenge of the Super Friends (1978) that Giganta's size-changing ability was introduced (with accompanying superhuman strength). She retained this ability in her re-introduction in the nineties comics. * Her appearance on the SuperFriends marks the first time Giganta was seen outside comics. In the series, she was portrayed as a powerful member of the Legion of Doom. * In the comics she is portrayed as the enemy of Wonder Woman, in the SuperFriends continuity, she is portrayed as the enemy of Apache Chief. On the "Challenge of the Superfriends" DVD set, her bio calls her an enemy of both Wonder Woman and Apache Chief. * Giganta also appeared in both episodes of NBC's Legends of the Superheroes (1979) played by Aleshia Brevard. Because of the show's decidedly low budget, in the first episode, "The Challenge" (January 18, 1979), she doesn't demonstrate any ability to grow in size, and instead bends a prop steel bar around Riddler's neck for a "superstrength" effect. She returns in "The Roast" (January 25, 1979) and is interviewed by "Rhoda Rooter" (who is an impression of gossip host Rona Barrett). Rooter interviews Giganta and the Atom about their recent engagement. * Giganta is the 2nd female giant in the series after Amy Zahn. * The Earth-1A version (''Super Friends #30'') of Giganta was originally tied to Earth-One due to inconstancies with Golden Age (Earth-Two) history. In this SuperFriends issue, Giganta is presented with red hair like her Golden Age counterpart as opposed to her Silver Age counterpart who had blonde hair. * Eventually the Silver Age appearances of Giganta were retconned in [https://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Crisis_on_Infinite_Earths:_The_Compendium Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium] (November, 2005) to Earth-Forty. External Links *See Giganta at wikipedia.org * See Giganta at the Comic Vine * See Giganta at Seanbaby's SuperFriends page * See Giganta at DCAU wiki * See Giganta at the DC Database References Category:Characters Category:Villains Category:Wonder Woman enemies Category:DC characters Category:Live-action characters